The Smokers Ogilvy Healthworld

'Many thanks indeed. The whole agency has been blown away by how good it looks. Thank you all for your hard work and effort getting it done. You've done Dave proud!'

Dan Jenkins, Senior Account Executive, Ogilvy Healthworld

Most people know that smoking can lead to lung cancer and heart disease causing serious health problems and death; however, there are many other less publicised side effects.

Ogilvy Healthworld Advertising approached Artem to help them demonstrate some of these conditions in a very graphic, physical way. One of their clients is a drug company that manufactures a treatment that assists people in giving up smoking. Internally, they illustrate its potential benefits, by using an androgynous character called Dave who is suffering from almost all smoking related illnesses.

So far Dave had only existed in 2D, but they wanted to bring him to life as a costumed character with special effects makeup. We came up with a creative solution for this character by taking a full body cast of the actor playing Dave, onto which we then sculpted diseased organs, deformed limbs and body parts. The sculpt was then moulded, cast out in silicone and foam latex, and finished to look as diseased as possible. The costume was finished with zips to ease fitting medical tags, two hearing aids and a specially crafted tracheotomy collar.

The list of smoking related ailments incorporated include: psoriasis, cataracts, wrinkling, hearing lost, multiple cancers, tooth decay, emphysema, heart disease and Buergers disease. They accumulate into a hideously disfigured character.

SFX Supervisor/Designer, Simon Tayler, said:

'We designed and built a full body suit which had to be practical and easy to get on and off whilst conveying the full horror of its message. The result looks grotesque but no more so than the reference material supplied by our client. Surprisingly, it is actually quite comfortable to wear.'

Industry

• Live Events
• Product Launches

Discipline

• Prosthetics
• Special Costume

Share This